Emporia, Virginia

Emporia is an independent city in southern Virginia, surrounded by Greensville County. It was founded in the early 18th century as Hicksford, named for Captain Robert Hicks, and it became the county seat of Brunswick County in 1781. In 1857, the neighboring community of "Belfield" became a stop on the Petersburg Railroad. In 1887, Hicksford and Emporia merged into Emporia, which was named for Emporia, Kansas. It was re-chartered in 1902 and became an independent city in 1967. In 2018, Emporia had 5,121 residents.